The weekly times. (Wilmington, Del.) 1886-18??, 1887-03-19
Grandmother's Money.

Grandmotner'S Money.
"Bless and save us, mother, what
be We doin'2" demanded farmer Mar
tin in great amazement, as he came
in at the kitchen door for Jug OF
molasses and water.
"I'm cleanin' house," said Mrs.
Martin.
If Mrs. Hosea Martin had been
going to a masquerade party she
could scarcely have disguised herself
more Systematically. Her head was
tied up in roller-towel, whose ends
escaping behind, "streamed like a
meteor to the troubled air, her port
ly figure was encased in coarse
working apron, her skirts were
pinned up and her sleeves rolled high
above the elbow.
Didn't know We cakelated to COM
mence to-day said the farmer.
swell, / didn't exactly" owned
the wife. "But the minute your
..HIoDisef.asa IN her mind that she'd
have the horse and wagon and go
, over to Deacon Trudge's Wild WIS to
spend the day, made up my mind
to begin house cieanin'. You see,
Hosea, you know yourself, that
Mother Martin is pleasant old lady,
and / set deal of store by her, but
she can't bear to have nothing dis
turbed, and them files of old papers
up garrett, and heaps of rusty tins
and old bottles down cellar, and the
broken crockery back of the pantry
door that she always sayslshe's goin'
To mend when she geta.tiIne, and Lie
barrels Of rags in tile storeroom she's
going TO sort over in a minute Of
leisure
"What be we goin' to do with
them?n asked Farmer Martin, as his
vile paused TO draw long, despair
ing breath.
"They're gone" said Mrs. Martin,
with a roguish twinkle in her eye.
"Gone wheIe2n
matilda sold the rags to rag
man before grandmas wagon was
out of sight, said the enterprising
matron. The papers Elder Boley
gave me S. Tor, because they dated
clear back to President Zach. lay
lor's times, an he said they d be
curiosity for the young mems read
ing room. Much OF curiosity, in
deed And the crockery and the
old tin cans and the bottles as amt
good for lothin' under creation, /
give Bill. Belts quarter to take 'em
down to the old well by the stone
fence and fling 'em all in"
sWhatl" cried Mr.. Martin. "Fil-
lin up my old well, Ell? Where be
a goin' to water the cattle dye
s'poseS"
alt amt but little further to the
brook said Mrs. Martin, who was
one of those busting authoritative
females, who are law unto them
selves. "And that wen amt safe.
Never was, since the curb rotted
awayln
"Many gourd-shell of pure cold
water I've drunk there when the old
house stood close by under the but
ternut tree" said the farmer, with
sigh. "Afore we pulled it down and
built the new one"
sWell, We won't never drink no
more,r said Mrs. Martin. NTne
waters most all run out since we
dug the new well down here, and I've
had the children carrying cobble-
stones there all the Spring 1T Q pen
ny hundred, to get the huckleberry
pasture cleared out little. Aud
now the old truck has gone a top of
it--and good riddanue to two bad
things at once, says ] "
y Mr. Martin groaned.
nWell, MOTHER said he, syou al
ways did have your own way, and
you always will | s'pose. But what
bothers me is-what will grandmoth-
er say2 Z"
81 don't s'pose she'll be pleased"
said Mrs. Martin, stirring vigorous
ly at pail OF whitewash, "But it's
done, and it can't be undone, and,
after all, what is the use ofturning
ones house into magpie's nestl''
The farmer filed up his jug and
retreated to the remotest fastness of
the timothy meadow, resolved to be
as far as possible out of the way
when the old lady came home.